Discussing Quality TV for Baby Boomers

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Things That Make You Go Hmmm – Dead Again is Dead On!

I hate shows that are predictable. Dead Again is far from that. As a matter of fact, if you call yourself a True Crime connoisseur, then you should set aside a Thursday to come to the table. Dick Wolf should consider submitting these shows to Criminal Justice programs to be used as teaching tools.

Again, I had to watch it more than once. As a matter of fact, today is Thursday and a new episode of Dead Again comes on in just a few hours and I watched it for a third time, today. It’s that good.

SPOILERS

Right off the bat you can understand why the perpetrator made every single move he did during the commission of this crime – once you knew who did it (that’s why it is so rewarding watching it again). Hence, working backward, you can see why Wood and Schillaci would suspect a family member in this particular case.

While watching the interviews you gain a little more insight. During the crime reconstruction where they examine the shotgun blasts and Wood walks in the same steps as the mother, who is the only surviving victim … but wouldn’t a mother know if her own blood killed her husband, her youngest son and shot her?

No, that’s just too obvious, too easy – but as more and more evidence points in that direction, you throw your hat in the ring with the experts and decide it just has to be family.

But there was one thing that didn’t make sense – why was there gasoline poured all over the house but never lit? When you hear the District Attorney tell it, you understand how crime and violence destroys a family. While pouring the gasoline, he heard his mother on her cell phone calling for help. She heard his footsteps leaving the house without setting the place on fire. The last act of the mother/the final act of the son.

The right person is serving time on this case, but the whole town believes he didn’t act alone. See what I mean about not being predictable.